One of the best new features of the Ooma system isn’t exactly part of the Ooma system. A few months ago the company rolled out an iPhone app. What makes this app so special isn’t that it runs in the background on iOS 4.0, although that DOES make it quite useful. No, what makes this iPhone app so special is that it uses THE EXACT SAME NUMBER as your home Ooma system. In other words it extends your home system to… everywhere. It works over WiFi and 3G, and the call quality is great.

Ooma Premier members pay $9.99 a month for a host of additional services that includes 250 minutes of iPhone app calling per month. After that calls are just 1.9 cents per minute. That’s an inexpensive way to make calls on the go and could easily let you reduces your monthly bucket of cell minutes thereby saving money. Personally, however, I don’t have any interest in going back to the days when I paid per minute for calls. (Remember when Sprints “dime a minute” was a big deal??) Well, thanks to Ooma’s new 1000 minute a month bundle, I don’t have to and I can REALLY start using the Ooma app instead of my cellphone for calls.

For $4.99 a month Ooma will provide you with 1000 minutes of calling each and every month. That means I can make all the calls I want using the Ooma app and can… now… reduce my AT&T minutes. As the company explains…

Tired of overpaying for minutes on your iPhone calling plan? Ready to tap into the hidden capabilities of your iPod touch or iPad? If so, then it’s time to check out the Ooma Mobile app and our great new calling bundle!

The Ooma Mobile app allows you to make phone calls over Wi-Fi using your iPhone, iPod touch, or even your iPad. Since these phone calls go out over Wi-Fi instead of over your phone carrier’s network, you’ll be able to talk without worrying about using up your cell phone minutes and risking big overage charges. If you have a 3G-enabled device, you can also make calls over your 3G data connection. With Ooma Mobile, you’ll have full mobility while still bypassing the voice minutes on your calling plan.

Domestic calls made using the Ooma Mobile app usually cost 1.9¢ a minute. Compare that to what your mobile carrier charges for extra minutes! And now with the new Ooma Mobile calling bundle, you can reduce your cost per minute even further by getting 1,000 minutes for just $4.99 each month! It’s a cheap and easy way to make calls on the go without ever worrying about expensive overage charges from your carrier again.

Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”)Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.